• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Featured
    • LA school board cuts police funding to support racial equity
      New PT standard for future officers draws objections
      Law enforcement investigates death threats against California...
      K-9 lifesaver
      Cop Hobbies: Geocaching
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Paging Dr. Oz: N.J. police receive backup from a celebrity doctor
        Cape Coral Police Department testing mountain e-bikes for patrol
        Yale Police officers rescue 6-month-old baby found in stolen car
        Heroic officer rescues homeowner and pet from house fire
        The gatekeepers of school safety
    • Labor
      • Union says “many” U.S. Capitol Police officers want to leave the...
        NYPD disciplinary records made public
        Raising the bar
        Retirements up, recruiting down
        Maryland considers repealing officers’ bill of rights
    • Tech
      • Technology gives police an edge in chases
        Data-driven investigations
        Police technology: Why so far behind?
        Charlotte-Mecklenburg police use key technology to battle crime wave
        Denver police gun detection technology pays off
    • Training
      • New PT standard for future officers draws objections
        LPVO: The Goldilocks of AR optics
        Chicago PD introduces real-life situation training
        Reset in recoil: Working with your gun, not against it
        K-9 lifesaver
    • Policy
      • Capitol Police Officers Lack Confidence in Leaders Following Unrest
        Police warn new NJ law decriminalizes underage drug and alcohol use
        Minneapolis decides to “refund” police following crime increase
        NYPD disciplinary records made public
        Pennsylvania top court decides on warrantless vehicle searches
    • Health/Wellness
      • Capitol riot suicides shine light on police mental health struggles
        So much for those New Year’s resolutions, eh?
        Save jobs and lives
        Everyday work trauma and your brain
        Getting some shut-eye
    • Community
      • LA school board cuts police funding to support racial equity
        When parents are arrested, what about the kids?
        Law enforcement investigates death threats against California...
        African American law enforcement leaders pass historic milestone
        Life-changing gifts
    • Humor
      • Cheeto dust leads to bust
        The force is strong with this one
        Dude, where’s my car?
        Dressed to impress
        How to retire angry
    • We Remember
      • Louisiana cemetery removes its whites-only policy after refusing to...
        Slain Capitol Police officer honored
        A thread of courage and love
        COVID-19 “very likely” to kill more cops than 9/11
        Always honored, never forgotten
  • On the Job
    • Paging Dr. Oz: N.J. police receive backup from a celebrity doctor
      Cape Coral Police Department testing mountain e-bikes for patrol
      Yale Police officers rescue 6-month-old baby found in stolen car
      Heroic officer rescues homeowner and pet from house fire
      The gatekeepers of school safety
  • Labor
    • Union says “many” U.S. Capitol Police officers want to leave the...
      NYPD disciplinary records made public
      Raising the bar
      Retirements up, recruiting down
      Maryland considers repealing officers’ bill of rights
  • Tech
    • Technology gives police an edge in chases
      Data-driven investigations
      Police technology: Why so far behind?
      Charlotte-Mecklenburg police use key technology to battle crime wave
      Denver police gun detection technology pays off
  • Training
    • New PT standard for future officers draws objections
      LPVO: The Goldilocks of AR optics
      Chicago PD introduces real-life situation training
      Reset in recoil: Working with your gun, not against it
      K-9 lifesaver
  • Policy
    • Capitol Police Officers Lack Confidence in Leaders Following Unrest
      Police warn new NJ law decriminalizes underage drug and alcohol use
      Minneapolis decides to “refund” police following crime increase
      NYPD disciplinary records made public
      Pennsylvania top court decides on warrantless vehicle searches
  • Health/Wellness
    • Capitol riot suicides shine light on police mental health struggles
      So much for those New Year’s resolutions, eh?
      Save jobs and lives
      Everyday work trauma and your brain
      Getting some shut-eye
  • Community
    • LA school board cuts police funding to support racial equity
      When parents are arrested, what about the kids?
      Law enforcement investigates death threats against California...
      African American law enforcement leaders pass historic milestone
      Life-changing gifts
  • Humor
    • Cheeto dust leads to bust
      The force is strong with this one
      Dude, where’s my car?
      Dressed to impress
      How to retire angry
  • We Remember
    • Louisiana cemetery removes its whites-only policy after refusing to...
      Slain Capitol Police officer honored
      A thread of courage and love
      COVID-19 “very likely” to kill more cops than 9/11
      Always honored, never forgotten
  • Jobs and Careers
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Humor

Ousted police chief makes his departure brief — literally

Published April 6, 2020 @ 7:57 pm PDT

iStock.com/4×6

It’s safe to say residents of Croydon, New Hampshire, a town of fewer than 800 people, were not expecting its board’s decision to disband its one-man police department to make headlines across the country. But that’s exactly what happened thanks in large part to the reaction of now-former Police Chief Richard Lee, who took being stripped of his duties a bit too literally.

After the town’s three-person board of selectmen voted in favor of replacing Lee’s services with full coverage from the New Hampshire State Police, the board asked Lee to turn in his cruiser keys, badge and uniform — and he wasted little time doing the latter.

“I gave them my uniform shirt, my turtleneck and my ballistic vest,” he told CBS Boston. “I then sat down in the chair, took off my pants, put my boots back on and walked out the door.”

When asked by a board member what he was doing, Lee responded, “You said immediately, this is immediately.” The ousted chief then proceeded to walk nearly a mile in below-freezing temperatures — in a snowstorm, no less — before his wife tracked him down and drove him the rest of the way home.

“I had no other means of transportation — as the cruiser is a take-home vehicle — and I had no spare clothes in the office, so I did as ordered,” he told the New Hampshire Union Leader.

The bizarre incident left many in attendance trying to comprehend what had just happened. “Richard’s not a perfect person, no human being is,” says local resident Heather Sampson. “But what kind of town lets their chief of police walk out in a snowstorm in his underwear?” her husband, Rick, adds.

Believe it or not, this wasn’t the first time Lee’s position had been the topic of debate. Two board members and the board’s administrative assistant resigned last year over the issue of whether to abolish Lee’s position. In 2018, voters rejected a proposal from Lee to increase his $30,500 salary by 43% and instead chose to pass a 2% cost-of-living raise.

Although Lee served as the town’s prosecutor and only officer for two decades, the decision to scrap his position was ultimately an economic one, according to select board chair Russell Edwards. “We didn’t feel like we were getting the value of our money,” he says. Maybe not, but they sure got their money’s worth as Lee departed.

As seen in the April 2020 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Humor

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Technology gives police an edge in chases
  • Cheeto dust leads to bust
  • Louisiana cemetery removes its whites-only policy after refusing to bury black deputy
  • Paging Dr. Oz: N.J. police receive backup from a celebrity doctor
  • Cape Coral Police Department testing mountain e-bikes for patrol
  • Capitol Police Officers Lack Confidence in Leaders Following Unrest
  • Police warn new NJ law decriminalizes underage drug and alcohol use
  • Yale Police officers rescue 6-month-old baby found in stolen car
  • LA school board cuts police funding to support racial equity
  • Union says “many” U.S. Capitol Police officers want to leave the agency
Advertise with APB

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Featured
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Humor
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers

Editor’s Picks

Ass-kissing, favoritism, oh my!

Ass-kissing, favoritism, oh my!

January 28, 2021

This K-9 is a gym rat at heart!

This K-9 is a gym rat at heart!

January 25, 2021

A thread of courage and love

A thread of courage and love

January 20, 2021

The job doesn’t love you back

The job doesn’t love you back

December 28, 2020

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2021 American Police Beat, Inc. | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.